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Bo Bichette has been a Blue Jay since we drafted him in the second round of the 2016 draft, so ten years now, seven of them with the major league team.

He was a top prospect, reaching number eight on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list. In 2017 he was number on nine our top 40 list (mistakes were made, TJ Zeuch and Conner Greene were in the two spots ahead of him), moving up to number two in 2018 (you can guess who was number one).

In 2018 I wrote:

Bo’s second pro season went as well as his first. He hit .362/.423/.564 splitting time between Lansing and Dunedin with 14 home runs.

Bo is on everyone’s list of Top 100 MLB prospects, 8th on Baseball America’s, 14th on MLB’s and 19th on Baseball Prospectus.

About the only question is can he stay at short. Some think he’ll have to move to second, but if he continues to hit as well as he has, we’ll be ok with a little less than terrific range. He has been working at his defense. It might come down to which position is open when it is time to call him up.

He was called up at the end of July in 2019, and started his MLB career with an 11 game hitting streak and finished the season with a .311/.358/.571 line with 11 home runs in 46 games. 2021 was COVID shortened, but he hit .301/.328/.512 in 29 games, and the Jays made it to the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

In 2021, he finally got to play a full season, and he showed us what he could do, leading the league in hits with 191, slugging 29 home runs and made the All-Star team for the first time

And he would do, pretty much, the same for the just of his time with the Jays (excepting the 2024 season), putting up OPS numbers in the lower .800s. Being at or near the top of the league in hits, getting his 20ish home runs a year.

It was strange, he was consistently about the same in OPS, but he would get there in different ways, sometimes he would start out slow and save his season in the last month. Sometimes he would start hot and slump near the end, finishing in that same area. Last year, he had a .738 OPS at the end of June, but then had a terrific second half, getting it up to .840 before the injury that ended his regular season.

2024 was the outlier, he had a .225/.277/.322 after 81 games. I was sure he’d have a terrific second half to bring his numbers back to his career norms, but then an injury took away his chance.

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In a way, it is too bad that he came up at the same time as Vlad. Vlad has charisma, an obvious sense of humour, and a sense of fun. Bo didn’t always show those things, or at least not to the point where they weren’t overshadowed by Vlad.

Bo seemed more guarded, I guess more business-like. He didn’t have the interview answers with Hazel that made you smile or made you like him more. Maybe if Vlad wasn’t so…..Vlad like we’d feel more connected to Bo.

But then Bo seemed great with his teammates. He always seemed to be chatting with someone on the bench and there were moments when he’d allow himself a little smile or something that showed us there was a personality in there.

If they had come up together 40 years ago (well, maybe 60 years ago), everyone would say that Bo was serious about the game, that he was a student of the game and was always looking to get better, and Vlad would be written off (at least a bit) for being a clown, for not being serious about the game.

I put in ‘Bo Bichette personality’ in Google and the AI summery said

…a mix of fiery competitiveness, perfectionism, infectious energy, and surprising sincerity, known for his aggressive play style, leadership by example (always early, working hard), and growing willingness to discuss mental health, contrasting a seemingly carefree exterior with a deep internal drive for success. He’s charismatic, connects with fans, and leads with an intense desire to win, viewing baseball as a mental battle, yet remains grounded and focused on his craft.

That seems very fair. Everything seems ‘on field’ with him. You don’t see Bichette commercials between innings. When there is an interview with him, he keeps it focused on baseball, there is very little personal stuff involved.

Among the bullet points:

Authentic & Vulnerable (Increasingly): He’s opening up about the pressures of the game, viewing it as true strength, a shift from stoicism.

He did talk about the pressures, some last year, when he was struggling.

I think the Mets were smart to offer a shorter-term contract (though $42 million a year seems a lot of money). I’ve often thought he was unlikely to age well, since he doesn’t control the strike zone, but then he is smart and driven, perhaps he’ll figure out how to continue to be great as his reflexes slow a bit.

I’m not sure that third base is the right spot for him. I think he’d be much better at second base, but again, he’s a hard worker and smart, so he’ll figure out how to play it to the best of his abilities.

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As much as I have worries that he won’t age well, I’m sorry to see him go. I’m not tired of watching him play. I’d like to see how he deals with playing into his 30s. See if he can remake himself. See if he can gain some control over the strike zone. And I’d like to watch him learn a new position.

I’m not too worried about the loss of his leadership skills. We seem to have a number of good leaders on the team. And I think we’ll be ok with the loss of his bat. But we’ve been following him up close for seven seasons (and following his rise through the minors before that). I’m going to miss watching him play (as much as I’m not going to miss Buck praising his two-strike approach when the stats don’t show that he is great with two strikes).

Best of luck with the Mets, Bo. Thanks for all the great memories. Thanks, especially, for the home run in the World Series.

It’s the dream of all baseball players to have a singular, meteoric rise from the moment they turn professional until their on top of the baseball world. It’s surely the dream of the teams that select them, too.

More often than not, it’s a rockier road, and certainly not a linear one. That’s been the case with Cam Collier so far in his still nascent professional career, though through the right lens even some of his bumps in the road still come out looking pretty optimistic.

Take, for instance, his 2025 season. He busted his thumb in spring camp, and it set him back for months. He began the year back in Arizona playing in Rookie Ball to get reps, not starting a game there until May 19th. He eventually returned to High-A Dayton the first week of June and didn’t sock his first homer there until June 14th, after which he’d go all the way until August 26th before hitting another.

All that from the guy whose 20 homers with Dayton the previous season led the entire Midwest League.

Clearly, the thumb issue impacted his swing, his bat speed, his overall power. Yet as Collier advanced up to AA Chattanooga in the Southern League, he still found a way to post a .377 OBP that tied for 11th best in the league with two others, one of whom being top Reds prospect Sal Stewart (who obviously moved right on up after doing that). This, all in Collier’s age-2o season.

So, we’ve got a guy who has a) shown enough in-game power to lead a league in homers, b) overcome a serious injury mid-season to get back on the field, and c) shown burgeoning excellence in commanding the strike zone and getting on-base, all while being one of the youngest guys at each level.

Yeah, he might be just a 1B-only guy defensively, but that’s the makings of an offense powerhouse of a prospect, one who is surely aching to put it all on display in a healthy 2026 season that should see him rise to AAA Louisville. And as we all know, if you’re at AAA Louisville, you’re just a sniff away from being a big leaguer, something he’s very much on the cusp of becoming despite a big speed-bump in 2025.

(Man, look at that potential 1B/DH logjam the Reds have looming…)

Collier’s your #6 prospect in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, running away with the voting over the weekend over a talented field. If I were a gamblin’ man, I’d wager that Cam’s about to have the kind of breakout 2026 that shoots him right back in Top 100 overall prospect conversations, as that bat is simply going to continue to play.

He’s just now 21!

In a series of events that developed fast enough to give fans whiplash, the Mets went from missing on Kyle Tucker to inking Bo Bichette less than 24 hours later. The 27-year-old shortstop spurned a long-term deal from the Phillies to sign an extremely player-friendly deal in New York; three years, $126 million, and—most critically—opt-outs after both year one and year two.

You’re no doubt familiar with Bichette, if for nothing other than his nearly-series-defining home run in last year’s World Series. Outside of that moment, he’s been one of the better shortstops in baseball since debuting in 2019, posting a cumulative 120 wRC+ and cresting 3.8 fWAR in all but one season. The one outlier—2024—was an injury plagued year in which Bichette struggled with a calf injury. He’s a good player, at times bordering on a great one, and you usually want to add that kind of guy when you can.

At the same time, Bichette’s profile is not typical. Ten years ago, we’d have looked at the top of the scale swing rates and ~10th percentile chase rates and flatly said that Bichette’s approach is problematic. Now we can recognize that he does a good enough job of swinging at the pitches he can damage such that his overall approach is broadly fine (as measured by SEAGER). Similarly, we might’ve assumed his high BABIP was unsustainable, and his offense as a result was fake. Now we have batted ball data that largely backs up his outlier ability to find open grass.

Even with that better understanding, you can see the warts. It’d be better if Bichette swung and chased less. It’d be better if he pulled the ball in the air more than 6.8% of the time. It’s also great that he’s a young free agent, but his exit velocities have already begun to decline, both in terms of max EV and 90th percentile. The recent history of lower body injuries—the aforementioned calf problems and a wonky knee injury last season—are concerning as well. We’ve also not mentioned the defense, which has gone from bad at shortstop to unplayable. Not a direct problem for the Mets of course, but something that should be noted.

Perhaps you’re more optimistic about the above, which is valid. The roster fit, however, is undeniably odd. Prior to this move, the Mets had a solid starting infield—Baty, Lindor, Semien, Polanco left to right—and an obvious hole in the outfield. Now, Bichette is slated to play a position he’s never played before (he’ll probably be fine there) while Baty has been bumped into a super utility role. It’s an odd allocation of resources, one that diminishes the net impact of the move.

The cost here could be described as anything from “high” to “astronomical.” We already mentioned the contract terms, but here’s what that actually translates to:

• $42 million in direct salary for 2026
• $30-35 million in CBT penalties
• 2nd and 5th highest selections in the 2026 draft, worth something like $1.5-2 million in pool space
• $1 million in IFA

On top of that, the opt-out structure gives the Mets all the downside and none of the upside. If Bichette has a good season, demonstrating that his knee is healthy and he can play another position well, he opts out for a bigger deal as a 28-year-old free agent with no QO attached. If the injuries linger or if the defensive decline is not ameliorated by the move down the spectrum, the Mets are left holding the bag.

Our view on this move might change when we get to the end of the offseason and consider the totality of moves. Maybe Baty gets traded for a big-name player (Jarren Duran, Tarik Skubal, and Cole Ragans are some options). Maybe another starter and/or outfielder gets added and Baty becomes a valuable super-utility guy in the mold of Jeff McNeil. Right now, though, this looks like a very expensive move that doesn’t align at all with the roster’s needs.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t discuss the narrative surrounding this deal. It sure seemed like the Mets were confident that they were going to get Kyle Tucker, or at least Steve Cohen’s tweet suggested that. Objectively, declining to give Tucker the highest AAV ever is a fine baseball decision; subjectively, acting like you’ve got a player in the bag and then coming up second (not the first time this has happened, either) makes you something of a laughing stock, particularly when you’re loud about it.

It’s dangerous to assume that we know more than a front office that is regarded as one of the more forward thinking in baseball. Nevertheless, even with a healthy amount of self-doubt and a good deal of squinting, this looks like a move that is imperfect at best and panicky at worst. The Bichette signing receives a C-.

Red Sox roster projection 1.0: Still moves to make as spring training looms originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Spring training is fast approaching, and the Boston Red Sox’ roster remains filled with question marks.

The way the roster is currently constructed suggests that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will make another trade or two before Opening Day. The Red Sox boast admirable pitching depth, but their lineup leaves plenty to be desired after losing Alex Bregman in free agency. They also must find a solution to their outfield logjam and add at least one reliable left-handed reliever to their bullpen.

We should expect multiple moves to be made before pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers on Feb. 10, but here’s what the 26-man roster looks like with about three weeks until spring training begins:

Starting rotation

1. Garrett Crochet, LHP
2. Ranger Suarez, LHP
3. Sonny Gray, RHP
4. Brayan Bello, RHP
5. Johan Oviedo, RHP

Starting pitching is the Red Sox’ strength. In fact, Boston could have the best rotation in baseball for 2026.

Garrett Crochet returns as the unquestionable ace after placing second in the American League Cy Young race last season. He’ll lead a group that now features left-hander Ranger Suarez (signed to five-year, $130M deal) and righty Sonny Gray (acquired from St. Louis Cardinals), giving the Red Sox a scary 1-2-3.

Brayan Bello slots in as the No. 4 starter after his best big-league season yet. After him, it will be a battle for the No. 5 spot with several depth options at Boston’s disposal.

For now, we have Johan Oviedo (acquired from Pittsburgh Pirates) as the frontrunner for the role, but he’ll compete with Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, and Kyle Harrison in spring training. There’s a strong possibility that the Red Sox take advantage of their pitching depth to make another trade to improve their lineup before Opening Day.

Bullpen

1. Aroldis Chapman, LHP
2. Garrett Whitlock, RHP
3. Jordan Hicks, RHP
4. Justin Slaten, RHP
5. Jovani Moran, LHP
6. Greg Weissert, RHP
7. Zack Kelly, RHP

It’s looking like it’ll be the same group — minus southpaws Justin Wilson, Brennan Bernardino, and trade deadline addition Steven Matz — in Boston’s bullpen next season. Without that trio, left-handed relief is among the glaring weaknesses on this roster.

Moran can’t be relied on to be the go-to lefty outside of Chapman. Perhaps top prospects Payton Tolle and/or Connelly Early can assume bullpen roles until spots open in the starting rotation, but it seems more likely they’ll begin the campaign in Triple-A if one doesn’t earn the No. 5 starter role.

Lineup

1. Roman Anthony, LF
2. Trevor Story, SS
3. Jarren Duran, DH
4. Willson Contreras, 1B
5. Wilyer Abreu, RF
6. Carlos Narvaez, C
7. Marcelo Mayer, 3B
8. Romy Gonzalez, 2B
9. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF

Willson Contreras was a nice upgrade at first base, but the Red Sox should still look to add at least one more bat before Opening Day. Losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency completely changes the look of the lineup and puts pressure on oft-injured shortstop Trevor Story to replicate his 2025 performance. Marcelo Mayer proved to be an outstanding defensive third baseman while filling in for Bregman last year, but his struggles against left-handed pitching and ongoing injury concerns are worrisome.

Then there’s the second base situation. Romy Gonzalez is a platoon bat, while David Hamilton provides next to zero offensive value besides his speed. Ceddanne Rafaela could move to second, and that would solve the outfield logjam, but then Boston would lose his elite defense in center field. Trading Duran or Abreu earlier in the offseason would’ve solved the problem, but with Bregman gone, the Red Sox can’t afford to part ways with either bat.

Bench

1. Masataka Yoshida, DH/OF
2. Connor Wong, C
3. Nick Sogard, UTIL
4. Nate Eaton, 3B/OF
5. David Hamilton, 2B/SS

The outfield logjam forces Duran into the DH spot and leaves Yoshida without an everyday role for the second straight season. Other than that, it’s a pretty straightforward bench with Wong as the backup catcher, Sogard and Eaton as versatile defenders, and Hamilton as the fill-in middle infielder who can pinch run.

Injured list

1. Triston Casas, 1B
2. Patrick Sandoval, LHP
3. Kutter Crawford, RHP
4. Tanner Houck, RHP

Attendance at Royals games has waxed and waned throughout the years, mirroring the fortunes of the team on the field. Periods of contention have reliably driven crowds well above the franchise’s baseline, while prolonged rebuilding cycles have pushed attendance toward the bottom of the league.

Here’s a look at how Royals attendance has evolved over the years compared to MLB averages.

The Municipal Stadium Years (1969-1972)

Baseball was America’s #1 sport in the 1950s and 60s, but average per-game attendance was only about half what it is today. Baseball added four new teams in 1969 – the Royals, Seattle Pilots (who moved to Milwaukee after one year), San Diego Padres, and Montreal Expos. And yet attendance league-wide actually dipped by 1 percent to 13,992 fans per-game. The Expos were the only one of the four new teams to finish above-average in attendance, and the Padres were dead-last with just 6,333 fans per game.

The Royals finished 15th out of 24 clubs in per-game attendance, playing games in old Municipal Stadium at 22nd and Brooklyn. Just 17,688 fans came out on a cold and windy night to the first game in club history, half the stadium capacity of 34,164. They finished with the third-worst attendance in baseball the next year, but had a mild attendance bump by 1971 during the team’s first winning season. That didn’t carry over to 1972, as the Royals were one of eight clubs to draw fewer than 10,000 fans per game.

Here are ticket prices back in 1969, from the Royals team yearbook.

Early Royals Stadium (1973-1975)

The Royals enjoyed a pretty significant attendance bump after moving into brand new Royals Stadium, finishing tenth among all clubs in attendance in 1973, drawing more fans to the gate than the Yankees or either of the first-place AL clubs – the Orioles and Athletics. Attendance fell slightly the next two years as the team had a losing record in 1974, but bounced back with a then-club record 91 wins in 1975.

Here are 1975 ticket prices, from the team yearbook.

Western Division Dynasty (1976-1985)

The Royals soon became a fixture in the postseason, reaching the playoffs seven times in ten years. They became one of the top draws in baseball, finishing among the top six clubs in attendance every year between 1976 and 1982, except for 1979, when they finished seventh. But the Dodgers emerged as the top-drawing club in the game, becoming the first team ever to draw 3 million fans in a season in 1978.

Attendance actually went down in 1984, when the Royals went on a very late charge and won an unexpected division title. They got their attendance bump the next year, an 18 percent increase as they went on to win the first championship in club history.

Here is the ticket information for the 1980 season.

Post-first championship (1986-1994)

The Royals enjoyed another attendance bump in the year after their title, a 9 percent increase despite a losing season in which they lost popular manager Dick Howser to cancer. Attendance would continue to increase through 1989, when they topped 30,000 fans per-game for the first time in franchise history, a mark they wouldn’t reach again until 2015.

MLB attendance really began to take off in the mid-80s, going from 22,589 fans per game league-wide when the Royals won the 1985 title to 31,256 fans per-game when the players went on strike in 1994. New stadiums brought large new crowds in Baltimore, Cleveland, Texas, and Toronto, and new expansion teams in Colorado and Florida initially drew massive crowds in temporary homes in NFL stadiums.

Here are Royals ticket prices from the 1990 team yearbook.

Post-Kauffman (1995-2006)

Team founder and longtime owner Ewing Kauffman died in 1993, and his wife, Muriel, died a year later, leaving the team in the hands of a non-profit. Small market teams cut costs in the post-work-stoppage environment, leaving the Royals to flounder in the standings. Large market clubs like the Yankees and Dodgers were huge gate draws, while the Pirates, Royals, and Expos drew much smaller crowds. The Rays and Marlins also quickly sunk to the bottom of the league in attendance.

Here are ticket prices for the 2006 season.

Dayton Moore years (2007-2022)

The Royals had the sixth-lowest attendance the year they made a late run and won a surprise pennant in 2014. But fans came out in droves the next year, giving the Royals a 38 percent bump in attendance. That year, 2.7 million fans came to the K, tenth-most in baseball. The team averaged 33,439 fans per game, still the most well-attended season in club history.

Attendance league-wide was at its healthiest in the first 15 years of the century, with all but a handful of clubs averaging at least 20,000 fans per-game. MLB attendance peaked in 2008, with an average of 32,382 fans attending big league games that year. But by the end of this period, several clubs began “tanking” or were just plain lousy, leading to sparse crowds. In 2020, no fans were permitted due to the COVID pandemic, and crowds were restricted the following season.

The Royals began “dynamic pricing” in 2013, with ticket prices fluctuating based on demand. According to Statista, the average ticket price at Kauffman Stadium went from $19.83 in 2013 to $24.73 in 2014, when the Royals won the pennant, to $29.76 in their championship 2015 season.

J.J. Picollo years (2023-present)

After years of rebuilding after the championship core departed after 2017, the Royals began to build attendance back up once J.J. Picollo took over in 2023. A playoff run in 2024 boosted attendance, and that increase continued to 2025 when the team drew 21,590 fans per game, their best numbers since 2017.

Baseball recovered from the pandemic, although with slightly lower attendance numbers than before. The Athletics and Rays each played in minor league stadiums in 2025, limiting their already small attendance figures. The league overall has not averaged 30,000+ fans per game since 2016.

On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the Baseball Hall of Fame will likely gain new inductees when the results of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote will be announced at 6PM Eastern on the MLB Network. These possible inductees will join second baseman Jeff Kent who was some-what surprisingly elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee last December.

Long-time big league outfielder Carlos Beltran is considered a near-lock to be elected. Joining him could be one of the icons of the Atlanta Braves post-1990 era, as center fielder Andruw Jones seems increasingly likely to gain election in his ninth year on the ballot.

Here are a look at the former Atlanta Braves who are on this year’s ballot.

Andruw Jones

Considered to be among the best defensive center fielders in the history of the game – and often the argument is between Jones and inner-circle Hall of Famer Willie Mays – Jones’ defensive runs saved are almost otherworldly and proof that his 10-consecutive Gold Gloves were much-deserved. Jones debuted with Atlanta at age 19 in 1996 and played with the Braves through the 2007 season.

His career declined significantly as he spent the next five seasons with four different organizations before heading to Japan for the final two season he played professionally. He was a five-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger and Player of the Year in 2005 when he hit a career-best 51 home runs. He hit 368 of his 434 career MLB home runs with Atlanta. He also hit 50 home runs in Japan.

Jones, with a career 67.o fWAR, is trending forward election in 2026, although the final vote will be close to the 75-percent threshold needed for induction.

Cole Hamels

Starting pitcher Cole Hamels pitched in one game for Atlanta in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. That ended up being his final big league appearance although he didn’t officially retire for the final time until 2024 after multiple failed come-back bids.

Although his time with the Braves did elicit a far number of jokes, Hamels is gaining notice for his overall career work, 10 years of which were as a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a four-time All-Star and a World Series and NLCS MVP.

This is his first time on the ballot and he is going to safely make it to the 2027 ballot despite fall far short of induction in year-one. Hamels’ case for election will likely see him stay on the ballot for each of the years he is eligible, but he seems unlikely to gain election with stronger candidate on the ballot struggling to be voted into the Hall.

Nick Markakis

Outfielder Nick Markakis won’t get elected and will likley drop off the ballot after this year, his first of eligibility. Markakis played six of his 15 seasons with the Braves and appeared in his only All-Star game with the Braves in 2018.

He was a three-time Gold Glove winner – once with Atlanta – and also won is only Silver Slugger with the Braves. A solid big leaguer, he pounded more than 500 doubles in his nearly 2,400 career hits. He was a Brave from 2015 through the 2020 season.

Matt Kemp

Outfielder Matt Kemp is also a first-time eligible player who will also drop off after this year. Kemp had one stand-out season in his career – 2011 when he posted 8.3 fWAR and led the National League in multiple offensive categories but finished second in the NL MVP to Ryan Braun.

Kemp’s injury-plagued career was up-and-down after 2011. He played part of the 2016 season with the Braves as well as the 2017 season. He hit 31 home runs with Atlanta and 287 in his career.

Félix Hernández

Starting pitcher Félix Hernández is included here because if not for the COVID-season of 2020, he would have been an Atlanta Brave. “King Félix” came to Spring Training in 2020 and made four starts with the Braves, tossing 13.3 innings while striking out 14 and allowing on three runs before Spring Training ended and he decided to opt out of the shortened 2020 season.

As it stands, all 15 years of his big league career were with the Seattle Mariners where he was the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner and finished second in the Cy Young twice. He won’t be elected in this cycle, but his vote totals are trended up as the six-time All-Star and two-time AL leader in ERA looks-to-be on pace for eventual election by the writers.

Looking ahead to the 2027 ballot, there a several other former Braves who could find their way on to the ballot for the first time, but none-of-which would be likley to be more than a one-and-done option.